Improvement in car-couplings



PATENT OFFICE.

f EEENETT E. no sE, oE-.KANsAs CITY, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT |N c-AR-oouPLlNGs.

` Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 107,814, datedSeptember 27, 1870.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENNETT R. RosE, of Kansas City, in the county ofJackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain Improvements inCar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear,

and exact description thereof, reference beingl had to the annexeddrawing, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is aperspective View of my improved coupling, showing the coupling-link inposition. Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the draw-head,showing the coupling pin or block and its attachment and the link indotted lines. Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofthe coupling pin or blockand the apron attached thereto. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections of thecoupling-link.

The same letters are used in all the gures in the designation ofidentical parts.

This invention relates to car-couplings; and my improvements consist inpeculiarities of construction, combination, and arrangement of variousparts thereof, whereby an automatic s, car-coupling is produced, whichat the same time will release the links of a vcar in a train thrown offthe track and turned upon its side, and thus prevent other cars frombeing drawn after it.

To enable those skilled inthe art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the annexed drawing, A represents a draw-head, inthe front end of,which a large rectangular aperture is formed, which is contracted byprotuberances, as at A1, near its central portion. Beyond theseprotuberances the opening may beagaln enlarged, as shown. The mouth ofthe draw-head is made Haring, in the usual manner. Upon the under sideits front end is thickened, to permit the fori mation of a recess, A2,in its interior, as shown in Fig. 2. l

In the upper side of the draw-head an aperture is made, and recesses arecut in its vertical walls, in which the coupling pin or block is fittedso as to work freely up and down therein, the width ofthe recesses beingsomewhat less than thatof the aperture, to conformthem to the shape ofthe coupling-block. The form of this latter (marked B) is clearly shownin Fig. 2, it being beveled in front, at

its lower end, to permit the beveled projection or barb on the link toraise it on entering the draw-head.

The loose end of a spring, B, fastened upon the draw-head, is embeddedin the couplingblock, tending to hold it down upon the link; and toprevent its being raised too high, I provide a stop, B2, projecting intoa recess, b, in such block, permitting just sufficient movement torelease the coupling-link.

A button, B3, may be turned under one of the shoulders formed at b b',to hold the coupling-block in an elevated position.

C represents an apron, made of sheet metal, by preference, and pivotedat one end to the cross-bar of a yoke, C. This yoke is fastened to thesides of the coupling-block, in which it is embedded, as shown, andextends downward from it, just in rear of the shoulder of the draw-headformed by the recess A2, such a distance that, as the coupling-block israised to the height permitted by the stop BZ, the upper surface of theapron will be on a level with the bottom of the mouth of the drawhead,and, raising the coupling-link with it, permitthe same to be withdrawntSuitable grooves are cut in the sides of the draw-head, in which thevertical bars of the yoke may move. The apron, extending from the yoketo the rear, lies along the bottom of the recess A2 when the link isinserted, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

D represents the coupling-link which is to be used in connection with'this car-couplin g. It is made pointed at its ends, and beveledprojections D' are formed upon its iat sides. The inner sides of theseprojections are vertical, and when the link is inserted one of them willbear against the shoulder in the draw-head, and the other against thecouplingblock.

It will be observed that the aperture in the ldraw-head is considerablywider than the link in its widest part, so that it may freely movetherein, to allow for the vibrations -efdle cars and permit them to turncurves without damage to the coupling.

The link, lying with its side upon-the bot tom of the mouth of thedraw-head, will be held in the proper horizontal position, so that itcan enter the draw-head of the car, to be coupled to it by thecoupling-block bearing down on it. The aperture in the draw-head is, ofcourse, sufficiently contracted at A1 to prevent the link passingthrough it at 'that point.

In case, in a train otl cars provided with my couplings, one of thecarsbe thrown olf the track and turned upon its side, it will cause thelinks which connect it to the cars in front and rear of it to turn upedgewise, and either release them or draw them out of the drawheads ofsuch cars, in either case conning the accident to the particular carthus thrown ofi'.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

'Ihe arrangement of the recessed draw-head A A2, coupling pin or blockB, spring B1, stop B2, button B3, yoke C', and apron C, all arranged tooperate as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two attesting witnesses, at Kansas City, this 17th (lay ofMarch, 1870.

BENNETT B. BOSE.

Witnesses:

W. J. MANKER, A. LEE GLEN.

